Australian Garlic Awards 2026

 

The Australian Garlic Industry Association (AGIA) Australian Garlic Awards for 2026 have just been announced and we are delighted to have won a gold medal for all of the garlics we entered this year.

AGIA Australian Garlic Awards

The AGIA Australian Garlic Awards is an annual event that celebrates the finest Australian commercial grown garlic nationwide. The garlic is judged by assessing four key garlic attributes: 1) flavour; 2) aroma; 3) internal condition; and 4) external uniformity and quality.  Each garlic Group (e.g., Creole, Turban or Subtropical) is unique, and each Group is judged on its main characteristics.  To find out more about Australian garlic Groups and cultivars visit the Australian Garlic Industry Association website.

Our Gold Medal Garlic

Our Spanish Roja has, for the second consecutive year, been awarded a AGIA gold medal.  This long storing garlic has become a favourite for garlic enthusiasts and chefs and is recognised as one of the world’s finest garlics. It’s known for its outstanding blend of spicy, rich and complex flavours.

 

We are thrilled to have won a gold medal for our Tasmanian Purple as this is an improvement on the silver we were awarded in 2025.  Tasmanian Purple has an earthy flavour, with initial heat, and a mild savoury taste that develops slowly.

 

This year was the first time we showcased our Italian Pink garlic at the AGIA Australian Garlic Awards, and we are delighted to have picked up a gold medal.  Italian Pink has a beautiful, sweet aroma and a gentle long lasting garlic flavour.

 

Grow Your Own Garlic

Pick-up award winning Western Australian seed garlic from The Culinary Farm and grow your own garlic this season.

Come visit us at the Kalamunda Garden Festival this weekend and get locally grown, spray- and chemical-free seed garlic to grow your own bulbs, sprouts and greens.

 

Garlic sprouts & greens: a culinary delight

If you’re thinking of growing your own garlic this season, then why not treat yourself and grow some garlic sprouts and greens too!

Planting seed garlic in Autumn gives you the best chance of pulling up juicy, plump bulbs in 7 to 8 months. Here on the farm in Chittering, Western Australia, we get the best results when we sow our seed in March.  Harvest time depends on the variety of garlic we grow, but generally we start harvesting garlic in October, with our last bulbs pulled by early-December.

One of the delights of growing your own garlic is the tender garlic sprouts and greens that shoot up out of the soil prior to the garlic bulbs being fully developed.

What are garlic sprouts and greens?

Garlic sprouts are very similar in appearance to spring onions, in that they have green leaves at the top of the sprout and the lower part is white with fine roots. However, unlike the oniony flavour of spring onions, garlic sprouts and greens have a delightful fresh, mild garlicy flavour.  As a sprout the young garlic is eaten when the leaves are tender and before the bulb has started to swell.  Garlic greens refer to the green leaves of the garlic sprout.

How to grow garlic sprouts & greens?

At The Culinary Farm we hand select seed garlic cloves from our finest and largest garlic bulbs to ensure a good result when our seed is planted.  As a part of this process, we sort the larger garlic cloves on the outside of the bulb from the smaller inside cloves.  These smaller cloves are unlikely to have the energy store in them to produce a good size garlic bulb, but they are ideal for growing garlic sprouts and greens.

To grow garlic sprouts and greens, scatter small cloves in the ground (or in pots) and lightly cover with good quality potting mix.  Water in and by early spring you’ll be enjoying a new season culinary garlic delight!  To harvest garlic sprouts, pull the entire plant out of the soil when the plant is about 30cm tall and before the bulb has started to swell.  Alternatively, to harvest garlic greens leave the plant in the soil to grow and just snip the leaves off leaving about 2cm of the plant above the soil.  Because the plant is still intact, you’ll get a second crop of greens a few weeks later.

Cooking with garlic sprouts and greens

Prepare and cook with garlic sprouts and greens in the same way as you would spring onions or leeks.  To clean the sprouts, just remove the tough green tops, cut off the roots and rinse in water. Similar to when cleaning leeks, you may need to remove 1 or 2 of the green leaf layers to ensure the entire length of the sprout is tender prior to using.  This culinary delight can be eaten raw by slicing thinly and sprinkling onto salads or scrambled eggs.  Tossing whole garlic sprouts onto the barbeque and lightly charring makes a delicious vegetable side dish.  Try chopping the sprout thickly and sautéing in olive oil with mushrooms or adding to soups or stir-fries.  With a fresh, mild garlic flavour, both garlic sprouts and greens are a great substitute for spring onions, leeks or garlic in many recipes.

Pick-up award winning Western Australian seed garlic from The Culinary Farm

Come visit us at the farmers markets or the Kalamunda Garden Festival this Autumn and get locally grown, spray and chemical free seed garlic to grow your own bulbs, sprouts or greens. For all dates and locations of where you can find us, please check out the market updates on our website theculinaryfarm.com.au

Grow your own garlic

In Western Australia, March is the best time to plant seed garlic. There are hundreds of cultivars of garlic and therefore choosing the best cultivar or variety to plant is one of the most important steps when deciding to grow your own garlic. Here at The Culinary Farm, we are trialling a selection of cultivars including garlics from the Creole, Artichoke and Turban groups, to determine which ones best suit our climate and growing conditions.

Each year at the farm we set aside our biggest and most healthy garlic cloves for planting the following year. We have been growing the Tasmanian Purple cultivar and the Spanish Roja cultivar
for four years, which makes these cultivars very well suited to our local climate here in Chittering.

To have good success with growing your own garlic it’s important to source local seed garlic that is well suited to our Western Australian growing conditions. Many garlic bulbs sold at the greengrocers/ supermarkets are kept in cold storage and treated with sprout inhibitors to stop them from sprouting. Getting some local, spray-free garlic directly from The Culinary Farm will ensure you have the best chance of success with growing your own this season.

Our ready-to-plant cloves will be available at the Kalamunda Garden Festival in Autumn.

Follow our tips to successfully grow your own garlic.

Select a sunny spot

Select a sunny, well drained position to plant seed garlic. Garlic grows best in raised beds or in soil that is mounded up to allow for good drainage.

Prepare the soil

Select a new spot to plant your garlic each year to prevent build-up of fungal spores in the soil. Garlic grows best in soils that have been enriched with organic matter and have a pH of between 6 and 7. At The Culinary Farm we use organic pelletised chicken manure to enrich our soil. Before planting your seed garlic, be sure to dig over the soil to loosen it so the garlic can grow freely and without constriction.

Plant seed garlic

At The Culinary Farm we start planting our seed garlic in early March so that the cloves can sprout and get some growth before the Winter weather sets in. We crack our biggest premium garlic bulbs in late February and select out the best single cloves from each bulb for planting. When planting a single garlic clove, leave the papery covering on and plant it 2 – 5cm deep and 10 – 15cm apart, with the pointy end up.

Water and keep weed-free

Regular watering is essential for good garlic growth. A deep water two to three times per week is optimal. It’s also important to keep the weeds from growing in and around your garlic. Weeds compete with the garlic for nutrition and light and therefore inhibit garlic growth. At The Culinary Farm we grow chemical free garlic, which means we hand-weed our garlic and we don’t use chemical sprays to control weeds.

The only time you should stop watering your garlic is when the first leaves start dying back and begin to turn brown, which will be about two weeks before its time to harvest your garlic.

Download and share our grow your own garlic infographic:

How often do you eat garlic?

New research shows that garlic is the second most frequently used herb or spice by Australians, where the most frequently used is pepper.

In a recent study, 400 adults were surveyed about their use of herbs and spices in cooking and food preparation. Participants were mainly female and aged between 25-64.

Almost all participants (99.3%) reported using herbs and spices at home or consuming them when eating out over the previous 12-months.

Participants reported consuming 56 different varieties of herbs and spices with the top five most popular being: basil (97.8%); pepper (97.5%), garlic (96.8%), chilli (95.5%) and oregano (95.3%).

Most participants who consumed garlic (either fresh, dried, frozen or in a paste) reported using it 1 – 2 times per day, as part of their lunch or dinner meals.

Where does your garlic come from?

Although most of us use garlic in our cooking, few of us would cook with Australian-grown garlic. Only 23% of fresh garlic available in Australia is grown in Australian soil. The vast majority (77%) of
fresh garlic in Australia is imported, with most of it sourced from China.

Australian garlic is mainly grown in Victoria, New South Wales and Queensland, with only 2% produced by Western Australian garlic growers.

The best time to source seasonal fresh garlic in Western Australia is between the months of October and February.

The bottom line:

Next time you’re cooking with garlic, consider where your garlic has come from.

Compared to imported garlic, Australian garlic has such a delightful aroma, it has a stronger taste and flavour, and unlike imported garlic it hasn’t been fumigated to prevent the importation of
disease into the country.

By purchasing locally grown garlic you are getting a fresher and more sustainable product. Many small-scale growers in Australia sell direct to consumers through farmers markets and online. Visit
the Australian Garlic Industry Association website to find a grower near you.

References
Wilson NA, Mantzioris E, Villani A. Sensory preferences are important motivators for using herbs and spices: A cross-sectional analysis of Australian adults. J Hum Nutr Diet. 2025;38(1):e13406.
The Australian Horticulture Statistics Handbook 2022/23

Tom-Yum: a flavour packed health boost

Tom-Yum is a traditional Thai seasoning known for its distinctive hot and sour flavours. The major ingredients in Tom-Yum include kaffir (makrut) lime leaves, galangal, lemongrass, chilli, garlic and red onion (shallot).

What does the research say?

Research shows that Tom-Yum paste has both antibacterial and antioxidant health benefits. Of all the ingredients within the Tom-Yum mix, garlic contributes the highest antimicrobial properties. Whereas red chilli and kaffir lime leaves provide the greatest source of antioxidants. The essential oils present in kaffir lime leaves have been shown to have both anti-bacterial and antioxidant health
benefits.

Make Tom-Yum from scratch or buy it premade?

Buying premade Tom-Yum paste is easy and convenient, however making your own with fresh ingredients is easier than you think!

The great thing about making your own Tom-Yum is that you can choose what goes in it! Select fresh chillies that are either mild or hot depending on how spicy you like your paste to be. If you are sensitive to onion and/or garlic, then leave them out and you can still get the flavour punch and health benefits of a delicious Tom-Yum. Premade Tom-Yum is often high in salt and other ingredients including flavour enhancers and thickeners, which are not added when making a paste from scratch.

So, next time you are at the farmers markets or grocery store and see the fresh culinary ingredients to make your own Tom-Yum, why not give it a go?

This paste recipe can be used as a Tom Yum Soup base, added to stir fries, or as a marinade for chicken and seafood. Freeze any leftover paste in an ice cube tray and use within 3 months.

References
Siripongvutikorn S, Thummaratwasik P, Huang Y-w. Antimicrobial and antioxidation effects of Thai seasoning, Tom-Yum.
LWT – Food Science and Technology. 2005;38(4):347-52.

Contact The Culinary Farm

Chittering, Western Australia
info@theculinaryfarm.com.au